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Wonders
A story by Firey :) All credit goes to Erin Hunter, Clans (if any) are fictional. Enjoy <3 Blurb Echo is a small kit who doesn't understand her world. She's born to serve, but she doesn't know why. She's just there to help those young apprentices become warriors. She lives in a camp where the toms are trained hard, but the she-cats are more of a medicine warrior. Echo herself was a rogue kitten when the Clan found her. Brought in and cared for, she served them by being their servant. She wasn't the only one, but no resentment rose from Echo. But when she learned about the freedom she should of had as a rogue, she begins to doubt herself. Prologue Echo... Was that really once my name? It had seemed so long ago when I was alone and helpless and when SageClan found me. It was a sunny, bright day when I was on the ground, mewling for anyone nearby. My mother was gone, but I didn't know where she was. To this day, I still do not know who she is and where she is. SageClan was kind, but that didn't stop me from seeing the world outside of SageClan. I may have felt safe there, but there was nothing but duties for me to do. All the servants there believed in servitude. But then... Oh I remember that day so well when they brought in another rogue, River Spirit he calls himself. He was a young cat, but he remembered what it felt like to roam around, and hunt freely. There were no limits he had said. I was so naive and I didn't understand what it meant to be free. To me, it was a chance at life, a place to stay before a long journey. As a kit, I never fought back against what was given to me. I accepted the fact that I was SageClan's servant because they had rescued me. I met many more that were just like me. It felt fair and I felt like that should be my life. And then everything changed. After a fierce battle between SageClan and FlareClan, I had met River Spirit, who had been "captured" and brought in to SageClan camp. He had been roaming about, trying to find a new home. SageClan rescued him safely from FlareClan's grasp, and he reluctantly came along. Then he told me about everything, how life was as a rogue, how he longed for the freedom again. But he had made a decision when he came looking for Clans, and he said he would never regret it, no matter how much he misses his old life. Now? Now I'm free to do what I want. Maybe I should have stayed and tried to work from there, but the new option was laid in front of me, and I took it. Perhaps even stones and sticks can't hurt me. River Spirit used to call me brave, and even to this day I wonder how he's doing. The wonders of this world must have mesmerized him too when he was little. No, no. SageClan wasn't brutal or cruel. They weren't unfair either. It was just that I felt trapped there, with a schedule to follow and rules to obey. I wasn't allowed to learn to fight; I couldn't hunt on my own. I had to report to Sweetstar everyday and catch a certain amount of prey. I was assigned to a group and I served them. When warriors were hurt, I would treat and nurture them. That was all I had. But it had been enough for me in the first twelve moons of my life. Then when River Spirit arrived and continued to explain the life of a rogue to me, I began to wonder... Here I am now, enjoying the days of freedom and relaxation. Perhaps Sweetstar had noticed my escape, but she did not care. For she was watching that day when I left. Her rosy red eyes had only watched me as I stalked off, tail high. Maybe she longs for freedom too. Now I'm Spirit, as Shadow calls me. He says that I have the spirit of the stars and I make everyone cheerful around me. He's a wonderful tom, and I'm glad I got to meet him. My kits are beautiful, so like Shadow and I. I love them. The silver she-kit looks just like me, and I decided to name her Echo Spirit, a combination of you and what I am. Echo... Yes, that's my name, and I'm proud of it. Well Shadow calls my "honey" and "Spirit" but that's fine. I was Echo, and that's all the matters. Chapter One "Do you see that little kit up there?" "Yeah, do you think it's alive?" There were murmurs coming near me, and I tried to squirm away. Their warm breaths drew near, and I relaxed. Squinting with my tiny eyes, I tried to get a clear image of them. They didn't smell like my mother at all. Who were they? "She's alive." "Let's take her back to Sweetstar." I shrieked and wailed as I was picked up. "Hush." Muttered the she-cat who was carrying me. "We mean no harm." That didn't soothe me, but I stopped struggling. It felt like a long walk until we reached our destination. I was allowed back on my feet, and I staggered gratefully after them. The tom walked behind me, urging me forward. "It'll be great." He promised, but I was not reassured. A rose red she-cat stepped forward. "Welcome, kit. I see that my warriors have found you out in the cold. Perhaps we could offer you a warm place to sleep and a great home to stay in." I nodded eagerly. I wanted a home. It was more than I could ever ask for. For a few days, I had been roaming about, cold and hungry, not sure where to find my mother. Silver Skies... She was gone, and I had no idea where she was. "You look anxious and worried." Whispered a tom. He looked about five moons old, and his blue eyes met her blue-green eyes. "Anything wrong?" "No." I replied meekly. "Just a bit cold and hungry." He settled down beside me, "I'm sure you'll come to love this place. I'm Hawk-eye, and my mother abandoned me when I was young. SageClan took me in and I found a place to serve among them." I looked at him curiously. "You don't look of high rank." Hawk-eye laughed, "I don't have to. This life is enough for me. It's perfect and I love it. Without SageClan, I would have died long ago." "What will I be doing here then?" I mewed, wanting to know what a moon old kit might be doing. Hawk-eye surveyed me uncertainly. "I think you'll be nursed until you're three moons old, then you'll become a servant like me." Hawk-eye purred. "It'll be great and you and I can work together!" I purred with him. Already my new home was getting better and better. I pushed him away playfully, and he growled in mock anger. "I'll get you!" He yowled and pelted after me. We chased each other around, but soon a small white she-cat leaned over and stopped us. "Hawk-eye, stop this second. The senior warriors are glancing at you, and you're behaving like a kit!" She scolded. "Servants shouldn't be playing. They should be working." I winced as the she-cat stalked off, not even glancing at me. "Sorry." I mewed softly. Hawk-eye shrugged. "Snowflake's just worried about our positions. If a servant isn't working, Sweetstar gets mad and punishes them. But she allows rest time for us..." He sighed and got up to leave. "I better get going, I have to help the wounded warriors. You just head over to that small bush over there. That's the nursery for servants." I nodded and watched him leave. Then he turned back around halfway to his destination. "I never caught your name." "Echo." ~-~-~-~-~ The silver queen ushered me in. "Stay quiet, the queens in the other Nursery don't like to be disturbed. We must remain quiet." I nodded and let myself in. There were only three kits huddled in the nests, and none of them looked as young as me. I felt a bit too small, but the black tom padded over. "Hey, who are you?" He mewed curiously. The others chimed in. "Are you the newcomer?" Dipping my head in embarrassment, I nodded. "Yeah, I'm new. SageClan just saved me from starvation. I'm Echo." The brown she-cat dipped her head too. "That's a pretty name. I'm Hazel." "I'm Night Sky." "And I'm Stream." I purred and blushed. "I've never met such welcoming cats." I confessed. "When my mother disappeared, everyone ignored me and bustled by. Nobody was kind enough to take me in." Night Sky shrugged. "Same for me, but luckily Silver Streak could feed us all." Hazel nodded, her eyes glowing. Stream purred, her blue eyes twinkling. They all love their lives, even if their slaves under SageClan control! This does seem nice... "Do we ever get to play?" I missed the comfort of playing and tussling, though I never had any siblings to play with. The fight I had with Hawk-eye earlier felt real and amazing. Stream shook her head. "No, the Nursery for the Clan cats are too close, and they hate being disturbed. Plus, as a servant, we shouldn't be playing or horsing around." Sighing softly, I nodded. "When do we get to eat?" My cheeks burned as Night Sky glanced weirdly at me. "Whenever you want!" Night Sky laughed. Hazel snorted. "Don't be shy, Silver Streak loves the new kits. She's my mother, so she still has milk for newborn kits. Milk Wing is outside, but she'll be giving birth soon so she could provide milk for new kittens that arrive." She led me over to her mother. "Silver Streak?" She purred. Her mother licked her head swiftly. "Yes Hazel?" The light brown tabby shoved me forward. "This is Echo, and she needs milk. She's just shy and polite so I decided to introduce her!" The queen laughed. "It's alright, Echo. Come, come. I'll feed you the milk I can." I edged forward, feeling a bit awkward. Then I suckled. The warm taste of milk flowed into my mouth, and I thanked Hazel and her mother for being welcoming. When I was done, I backed up, licking my lips. "Thank you." I whispered softly. She only purred and nuzzled my head. They next part of the day and the next day went fast. Hazel showed me what they did when they were bored, and she showed me how to play silent games. Then she said that her sister and her were almost three moons old, which meant that they were going to leave the Nursery soon. "Is Silver Streak going to leave too?" I mewed worriedly. Hazel shrugged. "She might stay until her milk dries up, but she's already losing milk." My heart gave a lurch and I sighed. I had grown used to suckling from the silver queen the past few days and she was kind to me too. Milk Wing was okay, but I was still edgy around her. "You'll do fine without my mother, Echo. Milk Wing's a caring she-cat, I'm sure she'll take you under her wing." I purred and mewed. "I hope so too." Chapter Two Soon Hazel and Stream were leaving the nursery. Milk Wing's kits had been born, but Silver Streak's milk had dried out. I was stuck with suckling from Milk Wing. The pale she-cat was kind and welcoming too, but I missed the soft fur of Silver Streak. Hazel and Stream were outside, and they were receiving their roles as a servant. I missed talking with Hawk-eye too. Kits were not allowed to stray too far from the nursery, and usually the servants don't have time to visit kits. I missed him, but I saw him dashing around the clearing often, his brow riding low as he concentrated hard. I was now two moons old, but I had one more moon before I began a servant. The life of a kit was boring, especially with only Night Sky, Mouse, and Skipping Stones for company. The two new kits were barely a half moon old, and they were whiny and demanding creatures. Night Sky had told me that he was going to become a servant in about a half moon. My heart ached and I realized that I would be separated from my friends for awhile. "Echo, why don't you go fetch a mouse for me?" Milk Wing called. "The kits are hungry." I thought resentfully, I am too! But I knew that the queen cared for her newborns. I trotted over to the fresh-kill pile and selected a plump mouse. To be honest, I knew that I didn't need milk anymore. Hazel told me before she left the nursery today. "You should try mouse. When you get to three moons old, that's all you eat. Meat." Milk Wing saw my interest in the mouse and tore a small piece. She prodded it and tossed it to me. "Try it." She advised. "I think you'll like the flavor and taste." I sniffed at it eagerly and gulped it down. "It does taste nice!" I exclaimed, licking my lips. The queen purred. "Perhaps you should start eating prey now that you're getting bigger. I won't be able to feed three kits at once." She mewed wryly. She looked tired, and I thought guiltily about my resentment earlier. I only nodded quickly and settled down to groom myself. Milk Wing sighed. "Why don't you go join Night Sky outside? You two can prepare to become servants." She mewed. Padding outside, I spotted Night Sky sitting in front of the nursery. "You okay?" I mewed hesitantly, not wanting to intrude on this private moment. He whirled around and I flinched back, ready to receive my warning, but he purred. "Oh, hey there Echo. I'm okay, it's just... I don't want to be cooped up here for another half moon. I want to join Hazel and Stream now." "Me too." We both stared as Hazel and Stream were being instructed. "Why do the Clan cats act as though we're crazy?" Night Sky laughed. "Because we love our duty and our lives, and they love theirs. They think servant work is nothing but a load of dirt." I pondered that for a moment. "I don't get why though." I objected. "This life is perfect, and I like it just fine." Night Sky agreed with me. "Me too." "What do you think Hazel and Stream are doing now?" I mewed, gazing at the two frantic figures rushing back and forth. "Probably enjoying their time." Night Sky laughed. I purred and nudged him. "You'll be like them in half a moon." I couldn't keep the sadness our of my tone. Night Sky turned to me. "Hey, you and I will still be friends." He promised. "Even if you and I will be separate for half a moon." I smiled at that and leaned against him. "Thanks for being a great friend." "You're welcome." We sat there for a long time, chatting about our new lives and our destiny. "I'm going to become leader one day." Night Sky joked. I only smiled and said. "I'm sure you will." ~_~_~_~_~ "Night Sky?" I mewed softly, waking up to the icy coldness of dawn. "What's going on?" I yawned, seeing that he was all groomed and ready. "It's my ceremony day." He whispered back. "I'm leaving the nursery to become an apprentice slave." Oh right. He was leaving me today. He brushed his tail over my shoulder, then padded outside, ready to become what was desired from him since he was born. I watched him from my nest, feeling lonlier than ever. Night Sky wasn't coming back, and I knew that. I was stuck with Stepping Stones and Mouse for the next half moon. Rolling over, I lay with my back facing the entrance. I didn't want to bear the pain of seeing Night Sky pad off with his new mentor, leaving me behind. Suddenly, rustling caught Echo's attention. Hawk-eye peeked his head out. "Hey, Echo! Milk Wing?" The queen raised her head groggily. "I'm here to clean out the bedding, sorry about the other apprentices, they don't do this den that often." Hawk-eye purred. The queen's eyes sparkled. "Nice of you to do this for us." "It's my pleasure." His gaze flickered over to me, his yellow eyes meeting mine. I blushed and looked away, not wanting to embarrass myself in front of the tom. Hawk-eye set to work, sweeping the old bedding to the side quickly before stacking his new pile of moss and spreading it out in the places where the odd bedding was. He was done in a few minutes, moving swiftly from one nest to the other. I watched him closely, admiring his swift paws and graceful movements. He looked back, and saw me watching him. I waved sheepishly to him, and he smiled back to me. Then he straightened himself. "I'm done, Milk Wing. Hopefully you'll enjoy the new bedding." Hawk-eye purred. Milk Wing smiled and purred. "Thank you, Hawk-eye." "My pleasure." Chapter Three "Echo, do you promise to give up your life to serving and never ever think about betraying SageClan?" Sweetstar mewed. "I do." "Then by the powers of StarClan, I grant you permission to serve SageClan freely. Frostbee, you shall teach Echo how to become a solid servant." The white she-cat bowed her head, ready to serve. "Of course, Sweetstar." I padded to Frostbee and touched noses with her. I was nervous and didn't feel ready to become a servant to SageClan. Category:Firey's Fanfics Category:Fanfictions